Gratitude in All Thingshttps://gratitudeinallthings.com
Contemplative Wisdom for WellbeingFri, 05 Jun 2020 13:18:52 +0000en
hourly
1 http://wordpress.com/https://s0.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngGratitude in All Thingshttps://gratitudeinallthings.com
Our inner observerhttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/06/05/our-inner-observer/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/06/05/our-inner-observer/#respondFri, 05 Jun 2020 13:18:52 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1173Continue reading Our inner observer]]>On World Environment Day, I give a short guided meditation on connecting with the meadows and streams of our minds. Using our imagination and scripture, we focus on turning from our inner critic to our inner observer. It encourages a deep connection between all living things. Share your voice on social media for the protection of our environment using #ForNature.

Before the descent the ascent! It was a rainy and blustery day as a small team of us, including the married couple in the painting, climbed Djouce mountain in County Wicklow. I used to climb the mountain with my family as a child, and my dad often squeezed our friends into the car and boot! Years after his passing, we trekked the same terrain and lifted our knees as the cosmos tried to make up its mind on the weather. We pushed on – some leading, some accompanying – until we reached the jagged rock at the summit. We made it!

After a brief stop, we began to descend the mountain. I mumbled a few words to my friends with a raisin scone in my mouth. I noticed my friend’s wife leading the way for the first time in the hike. Her husband followed close behind with a spring in his step. I gently gazed at the mass of brown heather. I glanced at the rolling hills, touch of sea, and wispy clouds. We turned a corner, and were among the conifers with a glimpse of Powerscourt Waterfall. We sauntered and laughed until reaching the car park, high on oxytocin – the kindness hormone!

All this reminds me of what Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) used to say about gratitude. He encouraged us to tune into the many gifts that are showered upon us each day. I find the image a strong one because it suggests that we will receive a tonne of gifts when it showers, especially in Ireland! Personally, I like the image of gifts of gold falling from the sky in parachutes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful that come 20 July, we would be able to leave our region and rediscover our gratitude for the outdoors? That would make another oil painting!

‘Descending Djouce’ by Siobhan Murphy

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/29/descending-djouce/feed/0dublinwriter10188ADFAE9-B4C8-4DF2-8AC4-95FA97F4EA9AMellow flame of lovehttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/27/mellow-flame-of-love/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/27/mellow-flame-of-love/#respondWed, 27 May 2020 13:21:14 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1161Continue reading Mellow flame of love]]>I respond to a decrease in overall satisfaction with life during the pandemic and a challenge from a listener. I draw from Ignatian Spirituality to explore the mellow flame of love that sustains us through the ups and downs of life. While acknowledging the natural highs and lows, I look to an Ignatian rule of vigilance after experiencing a consolation without a preceding cause.

I maintain that over-excitement (elation and over-activity) may be from a negative source and can lead toward desolation. I explore an Ignatian image of consolation to remind us of the mellow flame. Finally, I sing the Zen sound of ‘Mu’ which is consistent with quiet contentment, and I invite everyone to join the Pentecost prayer vigil on May 30, 2020.

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/27/mellow-flame-of-love/feed/0mellow-flame-of-lovedublinwriter101When the walls close inhttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/22/when-the-walls-close-in/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/22/when-the-walls-close-in/#respondFri, 22 May 2020 16:01:29 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1155Continue reading When the walls close in]]>A three-minute guided meditation (and a one-minute introduction) on facing one of the biggest challenges in the spiritual life. Acedia, also known as the ‘noonday demon’, is a kind of listlessness or restlessness that leaves us without a sense of divine presence. It was experienced by the desert mothers and fathers who were tempted to turn to distractions during their normal routine. We can also experience acedia during the Covid-19 crisis when we are restricted in our movements around work and leisure.

I imagined being in a quiet land outside of the city and suburbs during the Covid-19 crisis. Jesus and I had our hands on each other’s shoulders while we looked at a statue in front of us. I heard a wind come and go, I smelled and tasted the earth, I tried to be present. As I delved deeper, I saw a gentle expression on the statue’s face. I saw a blanket of cloud and I got in touch with the movement of the wind.

Jesus spoke and seemed to say, “I see the wind, I see hope”. I looked around, and realised that I was truly in a land of solitude: an intimate oneness with Jesus and all of creation. I saw that the statue was of Mary, mother of Jesus, who stayed faithful in prayer and endured the pain of her son’s death.

In this solitude, I thought of the principles that guide our politicians during the pandemic. For example, the principle of solidarity expresses a desire to let go of self-interest, the principle of proportionality ensures taking the right measures, and the principle of reciprocity requires support for those who protect the public good.

I was hopeful because Jesus, who shared an intimacy with the Father, wanted me to share in that intimacy too. I was deeply touched by the image of being shoulder to shoulder with Jesus. He said, “I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (John 15: 15).

I viewed the statue as depressing in the beginning, an isolated figure surrounded by apparent nothingness. But as I joined with Jesus, I realised it was not a lonely figure after all. For it was Mary, who lived out of a deeper reality, whose hands were together in unity and peace.

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/15/contemplative-nothingness/feed/0dublinwriter101virgin-868970_1920‘Bursting Out in Praise’ trianglehttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/13/bursting-out-in-praise-triangle/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/13/bursting-out-in-praise-triangle/#respondWed, 13 May 2020 15:05:17 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1142Continue reading ‘Bursting Out in Praise’ triangle]]>I was invited by Jesuit.ie to write a story about my website. The article was called ‘New Ignatian-inspired website’ because I was inspired by Ignatian Spirituality (‘finding God in all things’) to write on contemplative wisdom for wellbeing. Here I introduce my ‘Bursting Out in Praise’ triangle – a dynamic process of transcendence even during the pain or suffering of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also sing my own personal prayer called ‘The Magnificent Magnificat of Mary’, joining with Mary in saying ‘Yes’ to God.

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/13/bursting-out-in-praise-triangle/feed/0'Bursting Out in Praise' triangledublinwriter101Contemplative joyhttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/08/contemplative-joy/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/08/contemplative-joy/#respondFri, 08 May 2020 15:25:26 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1137Continue reading Contemplative joy]]>This week I offer a three minute meditation (with a one minute introduction) on the theme of praise. Drawn from my blogpost ‘Bursting Out in Praise’, there is an initial focus on mindful breathing followed by the repetition of a word of praise that arises from our hearts. It aims to encourage us to develop a habit of praise that seeps into our souls.

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/08/contemplative-joy/feed/0B0483846-AA57-4D1B-AD88-535F920A6E22dublinwriter101Bursting out in praisehttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/04/bursting-out-in-praise/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/04/bursting-out-in-praise/#respondMon, 04 May 2020 14:54:43 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1130Continue reading Bursting out in praise]]>

“I don’t sing because I’m happy. I’m happy because I sing.” – William James

As I was writing a blogpost last week, I noticed a lack of conviction on my topic. I felt tired and unmotivated, and I needed some inspiration. So, I got in touch again with a Poor Clare contemplative nun who reminded me of the importance of turning to praise on a regular basis. She told me that her community does the Divine Office – consisting of hymns, psalms, readings and prayers – seven times a day and that it actually seeps into your soul after a while. This motivated me to set a schedule and pray and sing it over a few days.

Some parts particularly struck me. The words from the hymn ‘God of Mercy God of Grace’, “Lips too seldom taught to praise, oft to murmur and complain,” seemed to represent the lack of habitual praise in my life. Psalm 127 – apart from God our labours are worthless – enabled me to pour out my sorrows and to depend on God more. And an antiphon at night prayer, “Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace,” expressed my desire to pray without ceasing.

I noticed some fruits after only a short while. During Sunday Mass on TV, I responded more heartfully to the prayers and songs in the company of my mother and sister. I let out a belly laugh when I saw my sister blow kisses to my granny and play peek-a-boo with her, while my granny smiled with big eyes. I tuned into the abundant greenness of nature: in the grass, hedges and trees. I rediscovered my own personal prayer that unites with Mary in saying ‘Yes’ to God in my life. Perhaps I can sing it for you!

]]>https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/05/04/bursting-out-in-praise/feed/0dublinwriter1018CB3D514-DF69-4665-8F31-3B55BFC9A77BElijah on the mountainhttps://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/04/24/elijah-on-the-mountain/
https://gratitudeinallthings.com/2020/04/24/elijah-on-the-mountain/#respondFri, 24 Apr 2020 14:51:20 +0000http://gratitudeinallthings.com/?p=1113Using mindfulness and a well known Bible passage, I guide the listener through a three minute meditation on experiencing God in nature and in the sound of sheer silence. I also reflect on my own experience of connecting with nature during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8).

As I contemplated the bird’s nest in my garden, I began to realise it was not as fragile as I first thought. Sure, individually the feathers, twigs, moss and leaves could be blown away by the wind. But together along with small branches that acted as support, it was actually quite sturdy and secure. There was even one branch towards the back of the nest that formed part of its structure. It was protected from many angles and was just the right weight in the tree. Likewise, we are fragile and vulnerable on our own but we can support each other and find peace in our circumstances and world right now, for example, we can check in regularly with those who are cocooning and feel less lonely and more connected ourselves.

Birds in nests are surrounded by unpredictable winds where there is uncertainty about when the winds will come or how long they will last. This is similar to the Coronavirus situation as we can’t be sure we won’t get the virus or how many more people will be affected by it, and we don’t know when we will return to normal life. But as we accept a large degree of unknown conditions each day while living in our homes, we can also be more open to the gifts that come our way. Personally, I am getting to know my family in a deeper way and I truly feel the need of their company. There is a sense of safety, even when we reach out to each other through online communities, and we know that love will get us through this challenging time.